Return
by Darkangel81
Summary: Max returns after AJBC. Pure fluff, no virus. Second chapter uploaded, now complete.
1. Chapter 1

I just felt like writing something- really short. Max returns to Logan after AJBC, but there is no virus.  
  
** SIX WEEKS AFTER AJBC  
  
Logan had been miserable for weeks, his friends had tried to talk to him, to cheer him up, make him go out, piece his life together, but he refused to accept their help. He tried to be nice in front of them, calmly telling them he didn't wantto go out, he didn't want to have fancy dinners, he didn't want to talk. But it was getting harder not to yell at them, not to tell them that they should leave him alone, that they couldn't understand the pain he was going through and that there was nothing they coul do to ease it.  
  
He still managed to put on the act though, and only Bling could see right through him, could see how much he really hurt. He might seem in control and calm in front of people, but alone, in his dark apartment, staring out the window, he was anything but in control. Bling remembered a time when Logan had acted just like that, not talking, not eating, just staring out at a world he felt he didn't belong to anymore. After the accident, his wounds had run nearly has deep, and it had taken Max to help him heal. But she wasn't there, he would have to find strength without her.  
  
Bling watched his friend suffer in silence, he wouldn't or couldn't shed tears, though it woudl probably help him ease some tension and hurt.  
  
"Logan?" he asked softly, stepping closer.  
  
There was no answer.  
  
"Logan, you have to find a way to go on."  
  
There was no reaction he even heard his friend talk.  
  
"She wouldn't want you to kill yourself."  
  
Suddenly Logan swiveled the chair around, he hadn't used the exo since that fateful night. There was no reason to be up and walking. His eyes were suddenly blazing with fury and desperation, before tehy had been empty and hollow.  
  
"She is dead! She died in my arms, I allowed her to die!" His screams pierced through the silence. "I wasn't strong enough to safe her. Why the hell should I deserve to live!! She was all that mattered!" He stared at his friend, breathing heavily.  
  
"God, Logan. That is not true. You are NOT responsible for what happened. You did all you could. Manticore is to be blamed." Bling grabbed Logan's shoulders. "You can't put that weight on your shoulders, Logan! You have to go on living."  
  
Logan stared at his friend for a long moment, and Bling hoped he had reached him and woken him from his daze.  
  
"Leave me alone, please."  
  
Bling sighed. He couldn't think of anything else, he could only hope Logan would eventually get over it- before it killed him.  
  
** SIX WEEKS AFTER AJBC  
  
Max felt tired and exhausted. She'd fought against Manticore for weeks on end, she couldn't even tell for how long. But finally she had found a way to escape, she coud hardly believe her luck.  
  
Now her mind screamed to return home, to Seattle, to Logan. But she knew she couldn't risk that just now. She would have to let some time pass, to hide her tracks and to wait until Manticore gave up searching. She knew it wouldn't take too long. If they hadn't managed to break her so far, they probably never would, so she was of no use to them anymore, more of a threat inside the facility than outside.  
  
It tore at her heart that she wasn't able to let Logan know she was Ok, she knew he was suffering, and she wanted to ease the pain- but that would put him in danger, and she couldn't risk that.  
  
She rode on the back of the truck towards Canada. There she would lay low for a month or two and then finally return to Seattle. Maybe Logan would have moved on by then, maybe he was over her and didn't even want her back in his life. But she knew she had to risk that.  
  
** TWELVE WEEKS AFTER AJBC  
  
Logan didn't manage to put his life back together. He started to go out again to run some errands or play basketball, to the outside world it seemed like he was the old Logan Cale, only Bling worried more and more wwith every passing day. He could see how much effort Logan pit into pretending, instead of putting it into actually healing. He was so busy pretending during the day, that his loss and desperation hit him with full impact every night. Bling had started to stay over at his friend's place, worried what Logan might be capable of. The therapist knew that Logan didn't like it, but there was no way he would leave him alone.  
  
Sometimes he would try to talk to him, offer a game of chess, or a movie, just to ease his friend's mind for some hours, but he always was turned down. If he didn't know Logan that well, he would probably have given up long ago, but he knew that if he did that, it would be like digging Logan's grave.  
  
So he tried again and again to break Logan's walls down, only if he could let go, unbottle the feelings, he would be able to start off again.  
  
"Do you want to talk?" he gently asked. "I told you before, if you bottle your feelings up, you are gonna explode."  
  
"And I told you that thereis no good in screaming, because it won't change anything."  
  
"You behaving like this won't bring her back either."  
  
Suddenly Logan looked up, his eyes watery. "It hurts too much to go on, it would feel like giving up on her, I can't do that."  
  
"You said yourself that she died in you arms."  
  
"I know, but I want to believe it's not true." Logan turned around to look through the window on th world outside again. "I want to be alone, Bling. Leave it."  
  
Bling draw in a breath, frustrated. He felt helpless, there was nothing he could do. The only thing that could help Logan obviously was Max, and she was not going to come back.  
  
** TWELVE WEEKS AFTER AJBC  
  
Max could see the Spaceneedle coming into view, or rather the silhouette as it was quickly darkening. She had spent some weeks in Canada, never more than a few days in one spot. She had "borrowed" a motorbike and some money when needed.  
  
But she was always focussed on the day of her return home, and after six weeks, she'd cracked, no longer able to stay away from Logan, sensing he needed her.  
  
And now she was about to return to Seattle, home. Without trouble she passed the checkpoints, using a fake ID a guy in Vancouver had sold her. And so she neared Sector 9, her heart beating faster with every mile she covered. She was longing to hold Logan, to feel his stubble against her cheek, to hear his gentle, soft voice saying her name, telling her he loved her. But at the same time she was scared to death, what if he had moved on, and there was no place for her in his new life?  
  
And then she saw Logan's building, automaticlly she parked the bike and started to climb up the wall, catlike. She garcefully landed on Logan's balcony, sneaking around the corner to catch a glimpse of the apartment. She let out a gasp when she saw the form of her lover sitting slumped in his wheelchair. His hair was longer and fell to the sides of his head, even from behind he looked miserable. Her heart ached for him. It was all her fault.  
  
Then she saw Bling step closer, with her enhanced hearing she could listen to the conversation.  
  
"Do you want to talk?" she heard him ask. "I told you before, if you bottle your feelings up, you are gonna explode." Bling's eyes were full of worry and helplessness. She could tell he had tried everythingto help Logan, but hadn't succeeded.  
  
"And I told you that there is no good in screaming, because it won't change anything." Logan's voice sounded weak and lacked emotions.  
  
"You behaving like this won't bring her back either." Bling's voice was louder now, desperate.  
  
Suddenly Logan looked up and turned around, his eyes watery. Max was shocked by the emptiness in his beautiful blue eyes. "It hurts too much to go on, it would feel like giving up on her, I can't do that." How did he know she was still out there?  
  
"You said yourself that she died in you arms." Bling had to make Logan face it. There was no use in chasing a dream that would never come true.  
  
"I know, but I want to believe it's not true." Logan turned around to look through the window on the world outside again. "I want to be alone, Bling. Leave it." His voice left no room for an argument.  
  
Bling nodded and retreated, without saying another word he dressed his jacket and left the apartment.  
  
Max kept on watching Logan for a few more minutes. She couldn't believe how much he hurt, how much she, a genetically engineered freak meant to him.  
  
"It's gonna be fine, Logan." Now she knew she didn'thave to be afraid anymore, he would accept her into his life again, and if she could make him happy again, she would willingly do it. She couldn't understand that she should be his source of happiness, but apparently that was the case, so she wouldn't question it.  
  
Silently she let herself into the apartment, the door made hardly any noises,and Logan seemed to be too wrapped up into his thoughts to hear them anyway. Gracefully she sneaked closer and leaned against the doorframe to Logan's left.  
  
"Knock knock," she whispered.  
  
Logan suddenly heard voice behind him. He was about to yell at Bling to leave, but then realized that it was not Bling's voice. Slowly, he turned his chair around and stared at Max, tears filling his eyes as he sat there motionless. 


	2. Chapter 2

Note: I hadn't really planned on writing a sequel, but here it is anyway. I'm not really satisfied with it though...besides, it has been done a million times already, and I'm afraid this brings up nothing new.  
  
Disclaimer: As always, the characters don't belong to me and I just try to have some fun playing with them.  
  
RETURN 2  
  
"Max." Logan looked up, his hands gripping the rims of his wheels tightly.   
  
Slowly Max walked closer, a single tear running down her cheek when she saw the hurt in Logan's eyes. The closer she got, the more distinct it was. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to do that to you."  
  
"I don't understand. You..."  
  
She had finally reached him and kneeled down in front of him, lightly covering his hand with hers and caressing it with her thumb. "I made it out." She smiled reluctantly. "It was hell, but I made it because I knew I had to get back to you and tell you something."  
  
"Max..." He shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes, too.  
  
"I love you. God, I love you so much." With that she leaned closer and hugged him fiercly. She had missed him terribly and now that she was back in his arms all the bent up emotions overcame her.   
  
Logan closed his eyes when he felt her hair against his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her, too, and inhaled her scent. His head was still spinning with confusion, but for now the only thing that mattered was that Max was back in his arms. He would have time to sort things out later on.  
  
They stayed like that for a long time, until Max eventually released her hold on him. Logan was reluctant to let her go; he was too scared she would disappear. So he grabbed her arm forcefully when she tried to sit back on her heels, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand. She looked up at his tight grip and understood his intentions when she saw the fear in his eyes. "Logan I'm here. This is real, and I'm not gonna go away. Trust me." With her free hand she caressed his cheek.  
  
"I've dreamt about this so often; I just can't believe this time it's real." He let her arm go and exhaled loudly. "God, I thought I'd lost you forever."  
  
"No, you didn't," Max corrected him. "You still knew I was out there, didn't you?"  
  
Logan shrugged. "I tried to make myself believe it, but the last few days, it had been getting harder. Everybody kept telling me I had to move on..." He shivered. "I couldn't let go. I wouldn't have made it."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"You have nothing to be sorry for." He eventually looked at her, really looked at her and took in her haggard, pale face with the dark circles under her eyes. "What did they do to you?"  
  
Max swallowed. "I can't really talk about all this just yet. Do you think you can give me some time?" Her voice sounded hoarse and cracked slightly.  
  
He nodded his acceptance. "Are you hungry? Do you want to sleep? You look like you could use both."  
  
"Thanks, just what a girl needs to hear." She grinned a little.  
  
"Want me to whip up a culinary miracle?" He smiled back and for the first time in months the smile actually reached his eyes. It was honest, still reluctant, but definitely real.  
  
"If it's not too much trouble. Mind if I take a shower while you're busy?"  
  
"Go ahead, but don't take too long." There was a fear in his voice that broke Max's heart.  
  
"Logan, I'm really back and I will never leave you again, I swear."  
  
He looked up, helplessly. "It's gonna take some time, though. Sorry, I didn't mean to..."  
  
"Nothing to be sorry for. I just want you to know I'll always be there if you want me to. The one thing I learnt back there was that I don't ever again wanna be without you."  
  
"Me neither."  
  
"Cool." She kissed him on the lips and then stood up. "Can't wait for dinner."  
  
Logan sat there for another minute until he heard the shower running. It was real. Max was back with him and she wanted to stay. Finally, after all those months of suffering, his dream would come true. He shook his head and let out a short laugh. Why had they been forced to endure so much misery and loss before it happened for them? He just hoped that now everything would run smooth, or as smoothly as it could when a genetically engineered soldier hooked up with a paralyzed underground cyber journalist. This combination seemed like a magnet for trouble.  
  
Finally he made himself move to the kitchen and check the fridge for ingredients. He realized that there was not much there. Ever since Max had left, he had not really cared about food. Bling had taken care that he had a decent meal every once in a while. Other than that, he'd mostly relied on frozen pizza or take out food. Now he collected everything he still had in his freezer, put it on the island counter, and took a few seconds to consider. When he finally decided what to do he wasted no time. By the time Max returned from the bathroom, wearing his fluffy bathrobe, he had already put the pot in the oven. "It's gonna take a few minutes," he apologized  
  
"That's okay. Mind joining me in the living room?" She put a hand on his shoulder and followed him to the sofa. He set his breaks in front of it and she sank down, putting her legs in his lap and closing her eyes for a second.  
  
Logan just sat there, watching his angel. "Are you okay?"  
  
Max sadly smiled at him. "I will be. Just gotta be patient, okay?" In her eyes he could see the horror she had been through but he knew better than to press. She would let him in when she was ready, and he would gladly be there to listen. But until then they had too much to be happy about.  
  
"You have all the time in the world," he answered, honestly.  
  
Max nodded and then her eyes fell on his legs. "What happened to the exoskeleton?"  
  
Logan shrugged. "Guess Bling put it in the closet. I haven't felt like walking lately."  
  
Max frowned but decided not to comment.  
  
"Want me to put it on?" Logan asked.  
  
"No, no need. I don't care if you're sitting or walking." She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "This is all I care about."  
  
Logan grinned and pulled her closer, then he embraced her and just held her tight again. They sat there until the ding of the oven brought them back to reality. But reality didn't look so harsh anymore. Together they made their way into the kitchen and into their new lives. Everything was fine now.  
  
THE END  
  
Okay, as I said, not too good, not too creative...but it's something. Hope you enjoyed it a little bit! 


End file.
